Aug 13, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Marcus Allen poses on the silver carpet during the Raiders Alumni Reunion at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Marcus Allen knows a thing or two about running backs.
The former NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl XVIII MVP rushed for over 12,000 yards in his stellar career wearing silver and black for the (now) Las Vegas Raiders, making an indelible mark on the position.
The Raiders look to continue a strong tradition of running backs such as Allen, Bo Jackson, and Josh Jacobs, with the selection of Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty on Thursday night in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Allen gave his own thoughts to the pick on Friday.
“Jeanty is an incredible running back, a great competitor, a great person, I know he’s going to come in and do everything he possibly can to make the Raiders feel they made the right choice and stuff,” said Allen. “I’m looking forward to it. He is the quintessential running back–he has all the tools, he can catch, he can run, he has great balance, he has great vision, he has speed. So I’m look forward to, really next year’s explosive offense now, we got a lot of weapons. We just added one, Brock Bowers, obviously, last year. We got some young talent out there, which is nice to see.”
The Raiders picking Jeanty seemed like destiny, as just about every mock draft from the beginning of the draft cycle until Thursday made the connection. Head coach Pete Carroll is a firm believer in the ground game, no matter how modern the NFL offense gets.
Jeanty was the right move — a balance of best player available and addressing an important need. The Raiders were 32nd in rushing last season.
Per a scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
“Jeanty plays a position that has become devalued on draft day, but his unique talent and the resurgence of the run game in the NFL should force teams to reconsider that factor when weighing his value. He’s the ultimate yardage creator, with the talent and skill set to succeed independent of the quality of his blocking. Jeanty’s speed forces linebackers to flow hard outside, creating cutback lanes and chunk runs, while his vision, balance and elusiveness get it done along the interior. The threat of what he can do on the ground should create ideal play-action opportunities for his team, allowing his next play-caller to, say, unburden a young quarterback or any other passer being asked to shoulder too much of the offense. He’s compact and muscular, but there could be some minor concern surrounding his massive workload in 2024. This top-flight running back is capable of becoming the face of an offense in a league where the pendulum might be swinging back to the running game. Jeanty has future All-Pro talent.”
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